


Herbs

by criesmom



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, Fluff, M/M, Single Parents, hot single dad soonyoung, sweet angel soonji i love her sm, sweet humble gardener wonwoo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-14
Updated: 2017-08-14
Packaged: 2018-12-15 04:57:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11798874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/criesmom/pseuds/criesmom
Summary: Single father Soonyoung and his daughter Soonji have just moved into a rural community and decide to visit the herb garden near the village.





	Herbs

**Author's Note:**

> this is 100% based on a real place that I went to yesterday with my mum (they didn't have any rosemary tho rip) and the whole time I was there I was like "huh this is very Soonwoo" bc honestly Soonwoo are such farm boyfriends

The gravel crunched under the tires of Soonyoung’s car as he pulled over to the side of the road. The driveway was shallow, leaving space for one car to park next to the large shed at the end of it. As he looked out through the passenger’s window, he saw potted herbs taking up several tables.

Soonji unbuckled her seatbelt in the back, standing up in her booster seat and hooking her fingers over the window sill to look at the plants. Her giggle made Soonyoung smile as she started bouncing with excitement.

“Alright, poppet,” he said, turning the key in the ignition. The engine shuddered into silence. “Let’s go have a look.”

He got out of the car and walked around to open the door for her, hoisting her up with hands under her arms and perching her on his hip. She loosely wound her arms around his neck for stability as he shut the car door and walked over to the tables. There were small black signs with labels of which herbs cost what amount, most of them being about two and half thousand won. On the side of the shed was a plastic pipe and a sign above it saying “coins here, be honest!”. After Soonji started wriggling, Soonyoung gently set her down and allowed her to go from table to table, standing on tip toes to see the herbs.

Soonyoung scanned the signs quickly, looking for the rosemary. When he looked at the pots under the sign that said “oregano, thyme, rosemary”, they seemed to have sold out. Despite this, Soonyoung still found himself wanting to buy _something_.

Soonji, apparently frustrated with being too short to see over the tables, stomped to Soonyoung’s side and made grabby hands up at him. He chuckled, lifting her again to sit on his hip. She read out the signs slowly, tripping over most of the words as they were unfamiliar.

“Dad, who owns these plants?”

Soonyoung had no idea, having only just moved to the rural area. He’d only heard about it because of a sign in the village shop window. “I don’t know. Someone very generous.”

She tightened her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder. “It’s very nice of them.”

He pressed a quick kiss to the top of her head. “Do you want to get one?”

Soonji lifted her head again, looking over the tables before pointing to a plant with thin, waxy leaves. “That one!”

Soonyoung walked over to it and recognised it as rosemary, just put under the wrong sign. “Just what we needed.” He smacked a wet kiss on her chubby cheek, making her giggle delightedly. “Well done poppet.”

He set her down again, picking up the rosemary and passing it to her. Patting his pockets, he realised he left his wallet in the car and told Soonji to wait while he got it. As he was reaching across the passenger seat, he heard Soonji greet someone behind him.

“Are these yours?”

Soonyoung grabbed his wallet and straightened up, turning around to see a man around his age, but taller and thinner. He wore round, wire frame glasses and a red flannel shirt unbuttoned over a white tee and blue dungarees. He nodded to Soonyoung as he walked up to join them, then looked down to reply to Soonji.

“They sure are. Are you here to buy some?” His voice was deep and gentle.

Soonji beamed up at him, holding up the potted rosemary. “Dad says we need this for dinner tonight.”

The man smiled softly as he pulled a watering can seemingly out of thin air and started watering the plants. “Has your dad brought some money for it?”

Soonyoung opened his wallet. “It’s two and a half thousand, right?”

The man nodded and Soonyoung took the right amount from his wallet. Soonji tugged on his trouser leg.

“Dad, can I put the money in?”

“Of course you can, poppet.”

Soonyoung swapped the money for the rosemary, watching as Soonji ran to the pipe in the side of the shed. She had to stand on her tip toes again to reach, and clapped her plump hands together as the coins jingled in a pot out of sight. She ran over to Soonyoung, and he had to be careful as he held her once again on his hip and the pot of rosemary in his other hand.

“Thank you,” Soonji yelled in Soonyoung’s ear, making him wince.

The man laughed, reaching over the table to lightly brush her cheek with a finger. “You’re welcome.”

Soonji looked down at the table. “Are these all of your plants?”

“No, I grow them in my garden and then I bring them out here when they’re ready to be sold.”

Soonji’s face lit up. “Can I see your garden?” Soonyoung squeezed her a little. “Please?”

“If your dad doesn’t have to be anywhere.” The man looked to Soonyoung for confirmation.

“No, we have time. Do you want to walk with the nice man?”

Soonji nodded, so Soonyoung put her down again as the man stepped out from behind the tables and Soonji ran to his side. She gripped his pinky and ring fingers; her hands too small to hold any more than that.

“I’m Wonwoo, by the way,” the man – Wonwoo – said, extending his free hand to Soonyoung.

“Soonyoung,” he said, shaking Wonwoo’s hand. “And this is Soonji.”

Wonwoo started walking around the shed, having to lean down on one side in order to hold Soonji’s hand. “How old are you, Soonji?”

“Four and three quarters,” Soonji said proudly.

Soonyoung laughed, ruffling her curly hair from where he followed behind them. “Her birthday is next week.”

“That’s exciting, are Mum and Dad doing anything for you?”

Soonji shook her head as Wonwoo lead the way down a small dirt path behind the shed and on the edge of some trees.

“I don’t have a mum, but Dad’s taking me to the horse rides.”

Wonwoo looked over his shoulder to Soonyoung, face apologetic. Soonyoung smiled at him and shrugged.

“It’s okay. I had a surrogate, so there’s no tragic backstory or anything.”

Wonwoo nodded, looking down at Soonji. “So it’s just you and Dad?”

“Yep, but I like it that way.” Soonji frowned as she waited for Wonwoo to open a gate. “I think he gets lonely though.”

Soonyoung choked on his own spit a little, putting a warning hand on Soonji’s head. “That’s enough, poppet.”

Wonwoo laughed, waiting for Soonyoung to step through the gate before latching it. “It’s okay; kids overshare.”

Soonyoung stood on Soonji’s other side, reaching down to take her other hand as they walked towards the large farm house. “You have any kids?”

Wonwoo shook his head. “Hard to have kids when you’re gay.”

Soonyoung’s heart sped up in his chest. He squeezed Soonji’s hand. “I beg to differ.”

Wonwoo looked at Soonyoung sideways with a raised brow, but dropped the subject as they got to the edge of the garden.

It was huge, with sections holding different types of plants divided by small walkways between them. Each section was two by four metres from what Soonyoung could tell, and both he and Soonji stopped dead in their tracks as they took it all in. There were brightly coloured flowers, bushes full of berries, small fruit bearing trees, herbs, vegetables, and a number of other plants Soonyoung didn’t recognise.

Soonji’s voice was quiet when she spoke. “Dad can you lift me up?” Soonyoung crouched down, allowing her to climb onto his back before straightening up. “It’s beautiful.”

Wonwoo was sporting a slight blush. “Thank you.”

Soonyoung stared at Wonwoo as Soonji clambered up and sat herself on Soonyoung’s shoulders, hands gripping onto his chin for support. He gently held onto her ankles.

“This must take so much work.”

Wonwoo sighed. “Yeah, it does. Especially when some things are in season when others aren’t, and they all require different soil conditions, so that’s a mission.” He smiled, turning to Soonyoung. “It’s worth it though; for reactions like yours.”

He gave them a tour of the garden, explaining the different plants and species and conditions as he went. Soonji asked to be put back on the ground as Wonwoo picked fruit and flowers for her, letting her take the watering can and water some of the vegetables closer to the house. When they reached the steps that lead up to the wooden deck of the house, Wonwoo set the watering can under a tap and turned to Soonyoung.

“Would you like to come in for something to eat? Or I have some tea.” He smiled down at Soonji. “And I’m sure I have some pink lemonade somewhere if you’d like something.”

Soonji grabbed Soonyoung’s jeans, jumping up and down. “Please, Dad?”

He placed a hand on her head. “We don’t want to take up too much of Wonwoo’s time.”

Wonwoo shrugged. “I haven’t got anything else planned.”

Soonji leant all her weight against Soonyoung’s leg. “See, Dad? He wants us to stay!”

Soonyoung chuckled, ruffling Soonji’s hair. “Alright, we can stay for a bit.”

Wonwoo nodded with a triumphant smile and lead them up into the house and down the long hallway to the kitchen. There was another deck out the back, which had a small table set up on it with two chairs. He told Soonyoung and Soonji to wait outside while he got drinks sorted out; black coffee for Soonyoung and a glass of watered down pink lemonade for Soonji. Soonji sat on Soonyoung’s knee as he bounced it, making her laugh uncontrollably.

Wonwoo brought out their drinks, plus a green tea for himself, on a tray with three slices of carrot cake. He sat in the chair opposite them and picked up his tea, blowing on it before taking a sip. He set it down again and got one of the slices of cake, digging into it with his fork. Soonji was chugging her lemonade – the exact reason Soonyoung asked for it to be watered down – and made large gulping sounds on each swallow.

“So have you just moved here? I haven’t seen you around the village before.”

Soonyoung snapped out of his reverie and looked down at his coffee. “Uh yeah, we’re in the old vineyard down in the valley.” Soonyoung bit his lip and scrunched his eyes shut as he thought. “An old couple used to live there, but they retired recently.”

Wonwoo nodded, taking another sip of his tea. “The Shims, yeah. They’ve been around for years; I think they moved in with their son on the other side of the village.”

Soonji started talking through a mouthful of cake, only putting a hand in front of her mouth halfway through the sentence. “Does everyone know everyone here?”

Wonwoo laughed. “More or less. We all went to school together and all our parents went to school together before that. I’m the seventh generation of my family to live here.”

Soonji slumped in Soonyoung’s lap. “Does that mean we can’t make friends?”

Wonwoo smiled fondly at her. “Of course you can still make friends.”

Soonji pushed some crumbs around on her plate. “Are you our friend?”

“I’d like to think so,” Wonwoo said, but he was looking up at Soonyoung. “If you’d like to be friends.”

Soonji looked up at Soonyoung. “Can we be friends with Wonwoo?”

Soonyoung leant down to kiss Soonji’s forehead. “Of course, poppet.”

She beamed up at him before going back to her cake, then excitedly telling Wonwoo all about her old kindergarten and how excited she was to start school next month. He listened intently, with genuine responses that warmed Soonyoung’s heart as he watched them. His mind wandered back to what Wonwoo had said earlier; _Hard to have kids when you’re gay_. He had thought Wonwoo attractive when he first emerged to water the herbs, but seeing the way he interacted with Soonji and then knowing that there was actually a chance made Soonyoung’s palms sweat.

Eventually, Soonji had to go to the bathroom. Wonwoo told her where it was, and Soonyoung tried to pick up the cake crumbs she had spilled all over the table.

“She’s a really great kid,” Wonwoo said after sitting down again.

Soonyoung’s chest swelled with pride. “Yeah, she’s the best.” He dusted his hands off over his plate and leant back in his chair. “I was worried, you know, about raising her on my own. But she’s doing pretty well, I think.”

“If you don’t mind my asking,” Wonwoo said, leaning his elbows on the table, “why did you decide to have her on your own?”

Soonyoung shrugged. “I’ve always wanted kids, and it just felt like the right time. I wasn’t seeing anyone at the time which I guess was a concern, but not for long.” He shrugged again. “It felt like the right thing to do.”

Wonwoo nodded, taking this in. “So, you’re not seeing one at the moment?”

Soonyoung’s palms started sweating again and the back of his neck felt warm. Before he could answer, however, Soonji came out of the bathroom and clambered back up into Soonyoung’s lap. She covered her mouth and nose with her hands and inhaled deeply.

“Your soap smells really good.”

Wonwoo laughed. “Thank you, I chose it myself.”

Soonji giggled and looked around the deck and into the kitchen. “Do you live on your own?”

Wonwoo nodded. “It’s just me.”

Soonji nodded slowly, then stood up with a foot on each of Soonyoung’s thighs and cupped her hand around his ear. He knew she was trying to whisper, but all she was doing was spitting in his ear and talking loud enough for Wonwoo to hear her easily.

“You should ask him on a date.”

Soonyoung felt his entire face flush red as Wonwoo laughed into his tea. Soonyoung held Soonji’s shoulders firmly.

“Soonji, poppet, I love you. But you really cannot whisper.”

There was no anger in his voice, but Soonji still pouted and looked down. “Sorry Dad.”

With a sigh, Soonyoung pulled her in for a hug, looking over her head at Wonwoo, who looked thoroughly amused. “I’m sorry.”

Wonwoo shook his head. “Don’t be; in all honesty, I wouldn’t be opposed to it.”

Soonyoung froze, still holding Soonji against his chest before he realised she was tugging on the front of his shirt. He looked down at her.

She attempted a whisper again. “Ask him on a date.”

He looked up at Wonwoo, who was smirking. “Would you like to come over for dinner tonight? I’m making roast lamb.” He nodded to the pot of rosemary, set aside on the table.

“I’d love to,” Wonwoo said, standing up and collecting their dishes. “Do you drink wine?”

“If you have a bottle of merlot spare, but don’t go out of your way.”

“I’ll see what I have.” Wonwoo went back inside, putting the dishes away in the kitchen.

Soonji squealed softly and hit Soonyoung’s chest. “I like him.”

He smiled at her, moving a curl away from her eye. “I think I do, too.”

After Wonwoo had put away the dishes and found a bottle of merlot at the back of his drinks cabinet, he walked the two of them back to their car. He waited patiently as Soonyoung repositioned the booster seat and helped Soonji buckle in. Once she was secure, Soonyoung straightened up and shut the car door, turning to Wonwoo.

“Thanks for the cake,” he said, then quickly added, “and the drinks. And the herbs.”

Wonwoo laughed. “It’s okay; someone needed to welcome you to the village.” He gave a shrug and a lopsided grin. “Besides, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find you incredibly attractive.”

Soonyoung couldn’t stop the smile that took over his face and hurt his cheeks. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel the same for you.”

Wonwoo looked down and scuffed the toe of his gumboot against the gravel. He dug a hand into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, handing it to Soonyoung.

“My numbers.” He elaborated when Soonyoung frowned in confusion. “We don’t get reception out here, so I put my landline as well.”

Soonyoung smiled, carefully folding the paper and putting it in his pocket. “Thanks, I’ll see you tonight?”

“Sure, what time should I get there?”

Soonji tapped against the window and they turned to look at her. She seemed grumpy and her voice was muffled through the glass.

“Hurry up!”

Soonyoung laughed, walking around his car to the driver’s door. “Can you do five thirty? Sorry it’s early, but I have to get her to bed.”

Wonwoo nodded. “That’s fine. I’ll bring the merlot.”

Soonyoung smiled, opening his door and getting his keys out of his pocket. “See you then.”

As he started driving towards their new house, Soonyoung looked at Soonji in the rear-view mirror. She was smiling happily at him, and he laughed before looking back to the road.

“What’s got you so smiley?”

She kicked her legs up against the back of the passenger seat. “I love you, and I like only having one dad.”

“I sense a ‘but’ here.”

“But if I had to have another dad, I want it to be Wonwoo.”

Soonyoung felt his eyes prickling and willed himself not to actually tear up. “Lets see how dinner goes before we ask Wonwoo to be your dad, okay poppet?”

“Okay Dad.” She yawned loudly. “I love you.”

“Love you too, poppet.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked this !! it's my second ever Soonwoo fic and doesn't have any angst this time lmao please leave me comments I love validation


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